


Extinguish and Ignite

by kurikku



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-13 06:17:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20577857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurikku/pseuds/kurikku
Summary: Dimitri never felt like a firefighter despite being one. He was always assigned to minor tasks instead of putting out real fires. One night after his shift, he broke his apartment complex key in the door knob and was about to break down the door if not for his neighbour, Byleth.Modern AU. Azure Moon Spoilers.





	Extinguish and Ignite

Dimitri's eyes soften at the hallway walls. Its navy blue colour contrasting with his workplace's harsh red. He didn't need to check the floor he was on. He always stopped where the apartment stairwell ended. However, he didn't catch his breath, instead, he expelled a sigh.

'_Nothing changed.'_

He wished he could dismiss the recurring thought. His hand reached out for his phone, viewing the scanned copy of his confirmation letter. It had been exactly a week since his probationary period ended.

The original letter had been laminated and framed in a heartbeat. Otherwise, he had no doubt that it would crumple from his constant admiration. He hanged it right beside his main door. A kind and inspiring reminder that he could achieve his lifelong dream-saving lives from fire.

Yet, the firefighter's days went on as if he was still on probation. There were occasional fire cases last week. Dimitri was perpetually on standby but he was never picked. His shifts were still on 12-hours too.

Another silent sigh was expelled. It didn't help that his colleague, Felix, had been mocking him for wishing to be on the dispatched team either. For tonight, he resigned to the fact it was not the right moment.

Dimitri lingered in front of his unit. His keys jingled in the quiet hallway as he fumbled with them. He jabbed and twisted one of it into the door knob.

Something cracked. He looked around and scratched his face.

'_Where did the sound come from?'_

Then, Dimitri saw it. He froze, gawking at the hand on his cheek. His house key, or rather what was left of it, was broken. Broken in the door knob.

'_No!'_

With shaky fingers, he tried to extract it to no avail. Sweat coated the bundle of keys and eventually, they slipped away from his grip. The bouncing jingles sent his heartbeat into a frenzy. He took rapid deep breaths before picking up the keys.

The other only way he knew how to unlock doors was to break them down.

'_Or... I could call Landlord Lonato.'_

He fished out his phone, struggling to unlock his phone from his sweaty hands. Once unlocked, he searched for his landlord's number. However, his phone battery flickered red and shut down before he could dial. It took a while for him to close his mouth.

All rational thoughts flew out of the window. He got into position subconsciously from his firefighter training, ready to kick the door knob down.

"Stop, I'll call the security."

A voice other than his inner voice spoke. Dimitri caught a whiff of something foul as he turned to face them slowly. It was his new neighbour.

She peeked from behind her door. Her glare sent chills down his spine. Despite her matter-of-fact voice, he didn't think she was joking. Another voice spoke from her phone, this time lower.

"Gaspard Apartment Security Christophe speaking."

"Hello, I'm Byleth and I live on the 12th floor. There's a suspicious man trying to break into the unit opposite mine."

"Wait wait wait." Dimitri finally found his voice. "I'm, yes I-I agree I may look suspicious right now but I live here!"

Dimitri rushed towards her door, only to be slammed out. He still could hear her on the phone.

"Ms Byleth," the security explained. "This may seem odd to you but please rest assured that man is your neighbour."

"What? Are you in cahoots with him?"

"No, look I'm unable to leave my post so I'll send my brother up. Please wait for about 10 minutes."

The call hanged up.

Dimitri leaned against his door. He filled his mind with whatever optimism he could muster. From eating a filling subway sandwich for dinner to not having a mundane task of rescuing kittens from trees at work.

The silence seemed worse than his neighbour's vocal distrust. He could feel her observing his every movement from the peephole.

This was the first time that he saw her. In the past few days, he had seen the moving truck downstairs, although he only remembered seeing the movers transporting huge boxes. While his first impression had been ruined, he hoped to at least clear up the misunderstanding.

Hurried footsteps and clanging metals came from the end of the hallway. Dimitri cocked his head, spotting a young grey haired man rushing over with a toolbox. He panted as the strings of his hoodie flutter.

"Sorry, I got here as fast as I could! Erm, Mr Blaiddyd was it?"

"... Yes, that's me."

The man shivered as if he heard a ghost. "O-oh, I'm Ashe! Christophe's my brother, ah he's the security that you called earlier. He told me your key is stuck? I'm pretty good at unlocking them! Ah, um I don't mean anything bad by it. Let's see the issue at hand?"

Dimitri perked up. Help really arrived. Sheepishly, he moved away, revealing the jammed door knob.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to."

He flashed a shy smile. While it was true he didn't mean to break anything, he couldn't control his strength sometimes. Unfortunately, Landlord Lonato and even his son, Christophe, had seen it often in the form of broken furniture, kitchen and toilet appliances. Now, another family member became another witness.

"Ah! No worries, Mr Blaiddyd. I suppose the lock hadn't received proper maintenance. I brought the toolkit over, it should take a few minutes."

The tenant scratched his chin, unsure whether the landlord's son was being polite or was completely oblivious about his clumsy streak. He wasn't certain which one to hope for.

"Ashe was it? Thank you and please, just call me Dimitri."

"O-oh. Okay Mr Dimitri. Also, sorry for the inconvenience caused. Usually father-I mean Landlord Lonato would come personally himself but he's away on a week trip."

"No it should be me apologising..."

Dimitri trailed off as he stared in awe. Ashe did everything in a flash. One moment he was lubricating and very next moment he used a pair of tweezers to pull the broken key pieces out.

"You'll need special permission from the landlord to duplicate the spare key." Ashe unlocked the door with it and showed Dimitri the 'DO NOT DUPLICATE' imprint. "But in case of emergencies, I'm allowed to create a makeshift key. It should last you until Landlord Lonato comes back."

* * *

The makeshift key lasted for one night.

Dimitri blinked not once but twice. He almost lost his grip on his sandwich upon hearing a different snap. He was sure he was using as little force as possible.

'_Perhaps... It's because the key is made of plastic.'_

Unfortunately, Ashe had to find out the hard way that 'delicacy' and Dimitri didn't belong on the same sentence unless the word 'no' was in it.

With nifty fingers, the landlord's son had cut out a key from an expired credit card last night. He had warned Dimitri to insert the key delicately or else it would bend and break.

"I... I see! D-don't worry Mr Dimitri, I bet the card was too flimsy."

High pitched screams screeched from his handphone. Dimitri heard at least two children asking for macdonalds. Ashe's voice was hushed as he told them that big bro was busy.

"Ah, sorry Ashe. I can call back late-"

"No no! I heard firefighters use up a lot of strength after all! I'll get a stronger card as the base and give it to you soon."

"Sorry and thanks."

The locked out tenant hang up the call. He slumped his shoulders and took a bite of his remaining dinner. Times like these, he wished he had a book in hand. On his phone, his fingers found its way to confirmationletter.pdf. He held his head from the incoming headache.

'_Still treated like a novice...'_

"Locked out again?"

The monotonous voice came from behind. Dimitri turned around, catching the foul smell again. However, the stench was stronger. His finger automatically pinched his nose. He almost choked on his sandwich.

"Ah... Indeed."

Her door was wide open this time. It was only when he saw the countless odd shaped potteries inside he realised they were the source of the stench. In comparison, they made the scattered papers and stationery on her coffee table look tidy. She stared at him for a good minute before closing her door.

"Wait for a moment."

Clinks and clanks could be heard behind her door. Dimitri tilted his head. He released his nose and realised how rude that must be to her.

Then, Byleth opened her door, holding a cup. His eyes were drawn to its intricate elephant trunk shaped handle. This time, he controlled the urge to pinch his nose.

"Want a drink while waiting?"

"Oh, it's alright I-" He cleared his throat reached for his water bottle his bag. "I do have water. Thank you."

She nodded without ever changing her expressions. An apology for yesterday came out flatly from her lips before she closed them and her door.

* * *

Dimitri paced the fire station's car park nervously. Work had ended for him but it was about to begin for someone else. He took an audible gulp as he dialled his most recent contact.

"Mr Dimitri?"

"I'm so sorry Ashe, I broke the key again."

"Oh..."

The firefighter could imagine Christophe shaking his head at him. He heard the same children's voices pleading for ice cream in the background.

"I-I'm still outside so you can take your time." Dimitri unclenched his fist, revealing the bent plastic key. "I'm really sorry. I could come by to your house personally to collect it later."

"Oh no, it's fine. I'm actually with Chris now, you can take it from him later!"

Dimitri thanked and spared the landlord's son the embarrassing detail of him jamming it into his motorcycle. He had slotted the wrong key when he was waving goodbye to one of his colleagues. It took him a while to realise why his motorcycle wasn't booting up.

He considered loitering away in the car park. He wasn't looking forward to hearing the security officer's lecture on damaging his key again. However, he heard people approaching. One of them sounded like...

'_Felix would be mocking me if he saw that I'm still here.'_

Thus, with a huff, he finally drove off.

Traffic was slow due to the peak evening hours. While waiting for the traffic light to turn green, he spotted his neighbour on the pedestrian walkway. Even in the dark, he could spot something yellow in the vase she held. She hugged it tightly, craning her neck to the side to watch her steps.

'_Isn't that... What's her name? Violet? No... Bye Left? Huh, odd name. Well, she looked like she could use some help.'_

"Bye Left!" He drove up to the fence beside her. "Are you on the way home? I can give you a ride."

"... Who are you?"

"Oh," he took off his helmet. "It's me, Dimitri, your neighbour."

"Oh. Hello. Sorry, you sounded different."

"Ah, must be the helmet. Anyway, you looked like you could use a lift. That vase looks heavy."

He wondered if his motorcycle engine ate up her words. Her mouth had parted but he heard nothing.

"Okay."

"Ah, you don't have t- wait did you say okay?"

"Since we're going to the same place, I don't see why not." She gestured to the top of the vase. "Unless you are allergic to lemons?"

"Oh no, I'm not. Let me get you the spare helmet."

Byleth barely clung onto his leather jacket. He threw occasional glances to the rear mirror, worried she might somehow fall off. It was harder to read her with the helmet on.

'_... Actually, I can't read her at all.'_

His motorcycle roared as it revved to the apartment. It was only when he hanged his jacket onto the coat hanger at home that he realised the lemons had masked the clay's smell.

* * *

Dimitri hid his face in his hands. His head leaning against the door.

This time, he lost his key. Wanting to separate the plastic key from the rest, he put it into his chest pocket. At least, that was where he thought he placed it.

'_Perhaps it dropped when I was doing the pull ups? Or was it when Felix shouted at me-'_

"Dimitri?"

He straightened up and swivelled his head at the mention of his name. He didn't notice his neighbour's footsteps at all. "Y-yes?"

"Locked out again?"

"I'm... usually not this careless."

Byleth hummed and pointed to another strange pot she was carrying. "And I'm usually not bringing vases home."

They went silent and Dimitri looked away in confusion.

Breaking the silence, she said, "It's a joke."

"Hahaha!" Suddenly, his body shook from contained laughter. "S-sorry that was really bad, Bye Left."

"It's bad but you're laughing?"

"Oh goodness, when a joke is unfunny to a certain degree, it somehow comes full circle into hilarity."

"Well, that's a first. Do you wanna wait inside? Or, you can keep laughing outside."

Byleth unlocked her door and the scent of lemons wafted out of her unit. Without waiting for his answer, she entered and left the door open.

_'When was the last time since I had a good laugh?'_

Wiping his tears, he accepted the invite. He took off his shoes at the welcome mat and stepped inside.

If he was still laughing by then, he had completely stopped now.

_'So many... combustible materials.'_

Boxes labelled 'Pottery and Accessories' were all over the place. He had to tiptoe to not step on any of them.

_'Agh!'_

Unluckily, Dimitri had accidentally knocked over a small accessory box. Hundreds of tiny various keychains and charms slid out of it. In a haste, he scooped them up, hoping none of them broke. He inspected a few of them for cracks and fortunately he found none.

'_So many majestic looking creature... This deer keychain looks amazing.'_

Suddenly, Byleth yelled from the kitchen, "Everything okay?"

He dropped the keychain into the box and slid it below the coffee table. "Ah, yes!"

Then, he froze. Underneath the bowl overflowing with lemons on the coffee table, countless stacks of papers were scattered about.

Utilities and rental bills from the Gaspard Apartment management and Galatea company. Purchase orders and invoices from companies he had never seen before. Various bank loans applications were rejected while existing ones had sent reminders.

"Oh."

Byleth returned to the living room with a cup of freshly squeezed lemon. She quickly placed it on the nearest side table and gathered up all the papers.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have stared-"

She ignored him, rushing to another room to dump the letters.

He sat on the couch and let the weight sunk in.

_'Is she in... debt?'_

Fortunately, Ashe had soon appeared and unlocked his door, sparing the both of them to talk about it.

* * *

It was Dimitri's day off. He spent his whole day trying to bake cupcakes. He hated the heat but he imagined the joy it may bring to Byleth and Ashe. The recipe book guaranteed it would be easy. However, the charcoal-looking cakes that came out of his oven showed otherwise.

He glimpsed at the store bought boxes of cupcakes as he called. "Ashe, I need help, can you come over now? Sorry and thank you."

Ashe had agreed, probably with the suspicion it had something to do with his key or door or both.

The tenant had tried to pay him for all the trouble this week but he rejected every time. He was beginning to think that Ashe's hair was silver from all the stress in helping others. Christophe wasn't planning to inform Landlord Lonato about the key either. He didn't want to charge Dimitri on a goodwill basis. He claimed the landlord would do the same for his great tenant who had leased for two years already.

'_Surely, Ashe wouldn't reject the cupcakes.'_

He hoped his neighbour wouldn't either.

Ever since last night, he felt really bad for intruding her privacy, especially on such sensitive monetary issues. This morning, he tried to bring up that if she needed money, he could assist to lend her some. Surprisingly, she gave him the cold shoulder.

'_It wasn't my place to but... I wish to help.'_

Not to mentioned he finally figured out how her name was spelled. At least he spared himself from writing her name as 'Bye Left' in the future.

Hearing the lift open, Dimitri inhaled the faint smell of lemons and pressed Byleth's doorbell.

Both Ashe and Byleth arrived at the same time. They quizzically looked at Dimitri who stood in front of his house, holding his door knob.

"Thank you for coming. I have called the both of you over because," Dimitri turned the door knob, opening the door much to their surprise. "I'm inviting both of you for cupcakes. I hope you can join me as friends, please?"

Dimitri quickly added the last line as Ashe was about to rebut. He lifted the plastic bag and offered an awkward smile.

Ashe scratched his chin. "So... your key is alright?"

Byleth added, "Your door, too."

Dimitri put down the bag. He hoped his cheeks were not set ablaze. "I understand I have been an inconvenience to both of you this week. I really hope the both of you will forgive me."

Then, both of them shifted their attention to each other. It was only when Byleth nodded and gave the young boy a gentle push, Dimitri cracked into a smile.

Ashe smiled the widest when Dimitri told him the leftover cupcakes were for his siblings.

* * *

'_The nightmare... didn't happen.'_

Dimitri had slept well. So well that he woke up much earlier than usual without any alarm clocks. The night was filled with laughter that didn't end on an awkward note. Somehow, it helped him remember how sweetness was supposed to taste like.

He decided to grab a heavy breakfast at a cafe. It wasn't the long queue that deterred him but his lack of taste. Perhaps he could appreciate not just the aroma but the taste of the scrambled eggs with cheese and turkey bacon too now. His stomach rumbled from the thought of it.

When he headed out, he heard the jiggling of keys from next door. Byleth soon came out, struggling to put on her heels. Dimitri's rubbed his eyes in case he was still dreaming.

She was wearing only half of her makeup on.

'_Uh,_ d_oes she usually get out of her house at this timing? 5.45AM? Or maybe even earlier?_'

He coughed. He wished another lady could tell her but he shall do it. "Good morning, Byleth. Uh..."

Sparing no glance at him, Byleth locked her door and rushed to the lift. "Morning Dimitri. Sorry can't talk. I'm in a rush."

"Your makeup, it's..." He ran up to her and blocked her path. "Half applied?"

Byleth stopped in her tracks. She fished out her cosmetic mirror and her face turned white. Recovering immediately, she found her voice, "Thanks. I'll fix it as I walk."

"Oh? Then, please let me give you a ride. It's dangerous for you to do that."

"No need, you have your own work don't you? Don't worry on my account."

"I insist. There's still hours before my work starts."

"... Okay."

The ride to work was quick. Byleth had fixed her makeup just as quick before she got on the motorcycle. He couldn't help but notice her grip on his jacket was tighter.

It may be fast but Dimitri was surprised to learn that she always walked 2 km to work. As much as he wanted to, he didn't pry into it.

With her guidance, he parked right outside of her shop. The lights inside were already on at 6AM!

A large cursive sign hanged on top of the door, it read "Victor Pottery." The glass windows were beautifully painted as if they were wall murals from the museum. There was a wood-craved sign of a bunny hiding in a pot with a sign that read 'CLOSED'.

He scratched his head. "Is the boss in?"

She entered. "She's in now."

It took him a moment to process her words. As he entered after her, he had to shield his eyes from the vibrant colours. It was a complete contrast compared to her house. Every wall was painted intricately, painting a story of some sort. Potteries were assorted into sizes. Despite the visible wear and tear, it felt rather lively.

"Ignatz." Byleth called out. "Sorry, I forgot to take the portfolio for the meeting later."

"Coming, boss!" A voice came behind the workshop. A green haired man, with clay and paint all over his face and fingers rushed out of it. He passed a file to Byleth and his eyes widened at the stranger. "O-oh? Good morning."

Byleth walked towards the exit as she flipped through the file and opened her bag. "Ah, before I forgot."

She returned to the counter, handing her employee some leftover cupcakes. "Cupcakes, courtesy of my neighbour here. I'll be going now."

With that, she headed out. Dimitri was about to offer her a ride again but she rejected as she wasn't late anymore.

Ignatz spoke up, "Sorry, boss is always on the move. I'm sure she appreciated your help despite how she looked. Oh! Thank you for the cupcakes too, sir."

"Please call me Dimitri." He shook his clammy hand. "Earlier, you had called her your boss?"

"Oh yes, I'm Ignatz. Ignatz Victor. The shop may be named after me but that was boss's idea..."

Suddenly, it clicked. The bills on her coffee table were addressed to Victor Pottery. Even so, Dimitri had assumed she was from the finance department, not the management and certainly not as the boss.

"Are both of you always working this early?"

"Ah... Yes, you could say that."

Dimitri went closer to the counter. He picked up the name cards-Byleth Einser, Director & Ignatz Victor, Potter. The operation hours stated 10AM to 8PM. Then, something caught his eye. A lion emblem keychain coated with a shiny blue layer sat beside an eagle keychain.

He pointed at it. "Did you make that?"

"A-ah, I make everything here. It's made of polymer clay and I'm proud of that set!"

"I can see why." Dimitri kept his eyes on it. It looked pretty sturdy and very aesthetic pleasing. He could really use it for his apartment key. Moreover, somehow it looked familiar to him. "I'll buy it."

Ignatz stumbled over his words. He couldn't believe his ears. "I-I..."

"Ah, sorry the shop's not opened yet-"

"No! I mean, that's not the problem." His smile turned as bright as the shop. "I mean there's no trouble at all. I just can't believe it. Thank you! It's been so long since I made a transaction."

Dimitri may have skipped breakfast that morning, but his heart was full.

* * *

Two nights later, Dimitri almost banged down his door. The door knob was fine but his neighbour wasn't. He came home to seeing her on the floor and his firefighter instincts kicked in.

With his medical training, he checked her vitals. Her body was burning up. Her cheeks were flushed.

He picked her up in princess style and ran towards the lift. He had to bring her to the nearest clinic.

Suddenly, she stirred in her sleep and was slipping out.

Dimitri readjust his grip. He reassured, his voice laced with worry. "Don't worry Byleth. I'll get you to the doctor-"

With a croaked voice, she resisted, "No, not the doctor. I can rest at home-"

"Byleth, you fainted. You're having a fever and it might be a symptom of other-"

She coughed and struggled out of his arms to no avail. "I'm used to this. I know what I'm doing."

Seeing her desperately wanting to get away, he stopped. "Okay, I won't bring you to the doctor but at least let me call someone who can take care of you. Your parents? Siblings? Or a friend?"

"There's... no one left."

Her eyes closed shut and her struggle stopped.

His heart dropped from her words.

_'Is she... alone like me?'_

Snapping out of his thoughts, Dimitri ran back to his door. He almost knocked it down but the image of a concerned Ashe and Christophe flashed in his mind.

_'I shouldn't create more trouble. How will Byleth rest if the door was down too?'_

He placed her gently against the wall as he unlocked his door. Then, he carried her to his sofa.

In the kitchen, he searched for ibuprofen and a thermometer and returned to the living room with them. He dipped his handkerchief into the cold water and placed it on her forehead.

He took her temperature. It read 38.9°c.

Saving lives was what he always wanted to do, especially from the heat. No matter what kind of heat it was, he would do his best.

He sat on the floor beside her. Thinking about it, she was always rushing to somewhere else whenever he saw her outside.

_'To see her finally relaxed like this... I can't let her be. Especially when there's no one else to take care of her.'_

A fever would take at least a full day for recovery. Dimitri was about to text his Captain to ask for an emergency day off when he realised he's off tomorrow.

He pushed his fringe back.

_'Should I inform Christophe? Shouldn't he be able to see that she fainted from the cameras? Ah... well, just in case.'_

* * *

For every 2 hours, Dimitri's phone alarm vibrated. He put away his kindle, suppressing his yawn. Then, he dipped her cooling towel into the bucket and placed it back on her head. Her temperature was still high but it had significantly gone down.

Dimitri's 4th alarm rang and he almost snoozed it. His groggy eyes stared at the bright 5:00 AM on his lockscreen.

He turned his head. Byleth was still asleep. He wasn't sure if he imagined it but the subtle frown lines on her forehead were gone.

Her temperature was still high. So, he made a call to Victor Pottery.

"Oh, erm. Victory-Victor Pottery, Ignatz speaking. Oh, I mean the shop's not opened ye-"

"Ignatz, it's me Dimitri. Byleth's neighbour."

"Ah, hello Dimitri!"

"I'm afraid Byleth's not coming to work for today."

"Oh no... Why are you saying it on her behalf? What happened? Is she okay? I-"

"Ignatz, please stay calm. She has a fever and she's resting. I'm taking care of her as she fainted outside of her hous-"

"Fainted?!"

"Ignatz, stay cal-"

"It's all because of me... She's pushing her limits..."

"Ignatz?"

"Dimitri please take care of her on my behalf as well."

"... Yeah."

Dimitri hanged up the call, feeling more confused.

_'Ah, I better keep my word.'_

Pushing those thoughts at the back of his mind, he soaked the towel into the basin.

_'It's no longer cold.'_

As he headed to the kitchen, his stomach rumbled.

_'Ah... she would be hungry too. Where's the nearest porridge stall again? But I can't leave her alone.'_

He called Christophe, informing that he would be going out to get breakfast and had left a note for Byleth to contact the security if she needed it. However, the security told him to stay put.

Within minutes, Ashe came along with his backpack and breakfast. "Don't worry about paying back. I got them at the best price. I hope Ms Byleth gets better soon."

Seeing no point in arguing, Dimitri thanked him and went back to nursing his neighbour.

At 9AM, Byleth's temperature has gone down to normal.

He kept the thermometer and heaved sigh of relief. However, he paced around his house deep in thought. He ground his teeth, lingering taste of the curry puffs Ashe bought.

_'Maybe I should do some cleaning. But the vacuum is too loud. Or should I wipe the table? Er, something might get knocked down. Feeling too restless to sit down and read or watch right now...'_

He found himself gravitating towards the sofa, ensuring she was fine. There, he sat down on the floor again and opened up a fire manual he was used to reading.

_'I'll just stay by her side then...'_

A few hours later, Dimitri woke up to a kick to his head. He jerked forward and swivelled to his right.

Byleth pushed herself away from him and grabbed the closest weapon, the first aid kit box. Her voice was cold, "Why am I here?"

"Byleth, it's me Dimitri. You fainted last night from a fever. I wanted to bring you to the doctor but you requested not to."

Silence descended the room. Byleth's eyes eventually softened as she looked around.

Dimitri cooed, "It's okay."

She put the kit down and stroked the blanket near her feet. She picked up the towel from her lap.

"You took care... of me?"

"Yeah."

"... What time is it?" She faced the closed curtains, unable to tell the time as it completely blocked the sunlight. She tapped herself, finding her phone. "10.23AM?"

"Ah," Dimitri opened the curtains, letting sunlight drift in. "I informed Ignatz that you won't be coming in."

"... Does he know why?"

"... Yes, he was rather concerned for you."

She hugged her knees and let her weight sunk into the sofa. Her expression clouded.

Dimitri gulped and gestured to the porridge on the table. "You must be hungry, let me heat it up for you."

It took Byleth a while to finish the porridge. She may be feeling better but her mind was elsewhere.

Suddenly, her eyes widened. "That keychain..."

He followed her line of sight to the console table. It was his apartment key.

"Oh. After you left, I browsed your shop for a bit and I must say that caught my attention. I really like it."

"... Thank you."

A small smile crept across her face. Dimitri forgot how to breathe. He looked away, wondering if he's catching her fever.

She continued, "Sorry, about just now. I couldn't recognise your place. The smell was different."

"Smell?"

"The burnt cupcake smell was gone."

Dimitri scratched his chin. He had aired his house for hours to get rid of the smell.

"Aha, well... That's a good thing."

"... Sorry for all inconvenience caused as well. Don't you have work-"

"Hey, today's my day off. Anyway, I need to get used to 24 hours shifts eventually. So it's free training for me!"

"... You're very kind, Dimitri."

She didn't meet his eyes. She seemed to cower.

He cleared his throat. His voice was laced with concern, "Do you know why you fainted?"

Byleth kept silent.

"I don't wish to assume but I cannot turn a blind eye. You overworked yourself."

"... What do you know?"

"I'm a firefighter. I know there's a fire when I see one. Byleth, please. You don't have to set yourself on fire to keep others warm."

Byleth jumped to her feet. With clenched fists, she raised her voice for the first time. "You don't even know me!"

Without saying another word, she grabbed her bag and slammed both their doors.

* * *

After a long day of work and worrying about his neighbour, Dimitri decided to head to bed.

As he rinsed his mouth, the door bell rang.

_'Who? At this time?'_

He answered the door and almost crushed the door knob.

"Byleth?"

"Dimitri, are you available to talk now- oh sorry please forget it."

Dimitri followed her line of sight and jumped behind his door. He was in his tank top and shorts! "Ah please, I'm free to talk but let me change in a minute."

His heart went hammering on as he changed into his long sleeves and pants. His mind went awry.

_'Is Byleth here to lecture me at this hour?'_

Finally, he opened the door. "Sorry for the wait, what is it?"

"That was fast."

"A-ah yeah, we had to be quick in changing into our firefighter gear."

She paused for a while. "I'm also surprised that you have sleepwear."

"What?"

"Yesterday, you wore the same clothes as the previous night."

"Oh... Well you see, I didn't want to leave you alone in case something happened."

"... Thank you."

"Oh, do come in."

She didn't budge. "I have something for you too."

"A-ah you didn't have to-"

She handed him a mini bottle of shampoo. "This is for you."

Dimitri blinked. His mind flashed to the backhanded comments of his hair being greasy during secondary school. "Thank... you?"

"You don't like it."

"I... I'm sorry."

"Ignatz made it and I heard those are a great idea for gifts."

"Oh... thank you."

Her eyes shifted to the floor. "And that... part about sleepwear just now. It was a joke."

"What?"

She covered her eyes with her hands. "A bad joke."

The corridor went quiet. Then, it seemed as if a light bulb lighted up above Dimitri's head. "Were you trying to make me laugh?"

She nodded. Her hands still covering her face.

All of the sudden, he erupted into laughter. In between catching his breaths, he said, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I thought you were mocking me."

"Right."

"I can't help it when you looked so serious all the time! Well, I supposed it's my turn to say you can come into my house now."

Dimitri opened the door wide as he suppressed his laughter.

Byleth shook her head. Eventually, she entered. "Please close the door though."

After closing his door, he offered her a basket of fruits.

"A get well soon basket? Anyway, it's okay I'm not hungry."

Her stomach betrayed her as it growled thereafter.

"Let me cook you something up real quick. Oh erm, is chicken okay?"

Her mouth wanted to say no but she ended up nodding.

Promptly, Dimitri went to the kitchen and opened his guilty food stash. There, he took the cup noodles, poured hot water into it and brought it over.

Byleth simply stared at it.

Dimitri cleared his throat. "It's... an emergency food supply for these situations. Sorry, it's not healthy, especially when you're recovering. But chicken soup... base is good for your health, right?"

"I appreciate it."

"R-right. Please wait two more minutes."

Seeing that Byleth made no attempt in starting the conversation, Dimitri picked up the mini-bottle. He brooded, "The bottle... I think I recognised it from your house."

"Yes." She paused and contemplated on explaining. "I bought them when Ignatz wasn't around. Those vases you have seen me carrying home, those were from the shop too."

"Does... he know?"

"... I think he does. However, we never talked about it."

The question 'why' was stuck in his throat. Instead, he continued to stare at the bottle.

After a moment of silence, Byleth said, "I came here to apologise and to explain. You saw the bank loans applications on my table didn't you?"

Denying will get him nowhere. Reluctantly, he nodded.

"Financially, I have created many budget plans but they can't last long enough."

"Are you... loaning money from elsewhere?"

"No. Few years ago, I had lost my father to loan sharks. We weren't even involved with them until my father caught one of them hurting a neighbour. He... I was left with nothing but inheritance money. We were used to moving about so we carried little. Yet, at that time, I didn't know how to move on. I don't have any aspirations to strive for. As I was slowly wasting my life away, people started calling me clay. A lifeless clay.

"Then, one day in a flea market, I found someone making beautiful pottery out of it. Everything was made by them by scratch. It made me realise that beautiful things could be made of clay too. However, they were closing down. And I found out I could keep their passion going. With my inheritance money, I kept it alive. At the same time, it kept me going too."

She took a sip of her instant noodles and the silence lingered.

Her story resonated in him.

Putting the bottle down, he shared his thoughts, "I'm sorry. It seems we are kindred spirits. Although instead of igniting, I do the extinguishing. I wanted to be a firefighter to put out fires that claim lives. I... lost my family from fire when I was just a child. I don't wish for anyone to go through what I did. Thus, I devoted my life to save those futures from sharing my fate. Despite my efforts, I'm haven't been assigned to a fire case yet."

Slowly, his vision of the framed confirmation letter began to blur.

With another sip of her soup, she said, "... Seems like we're both burning out."

"It seems so."

"Amicably or foolishly?"

"Byleth-"

"And you are indeed the extinguisher. Thank you, Dimitri. Sharing that did make me feel better. I'll tell him tomorrow."

"Are... you sure?"

"Yes. I always wanted to tell him. I just... needed the push."

The firefighter glanced away. He never thought he would be extinguishing these types of flames. He doubted no amount of training could prepare him for this. Regardless, he whispered, "... I'm glad I could help."

* * *

Dimitri peeked through his peephole. He wanted to go over and knock on his neighbour's door.

Beforehand, he came home to a piece of paper slotted underneath his door. It was tear stained and it read, "I told him. -Byleth"

Twiddling his door knob, he stepped out of his door and headed over to hers.

Without breaking the silence, he placed the basket of fruits and instant noodles on her welcome mat.

Her sobs daunted him from leaving. Yet, he reassured himself this was the best he could do for her as he returned home.

* * *

Byleth started carrying boxes back home.

Closing the door to the stairwell, Dimitri rushed towards her. "May I help?"

Her eyes were red and puffy. She shook her head and hid behind the boxes. Her voice cracked, "Thank you for the basket. It's more than enough for now."

Dimitri stood helplessly as she closed her door.

* * *

Before work, Dimitri made a detour to Victor Pottery.

No signs of life were visible.

A 'closing down' sign was pasted on the glass windows, blocking the beautiful painting. The lights that were usually on during closing hours were switched off.

Within a safe distance, he stared at the shop. Somehow, he faintly hoped to see the bunny out of the pot.

* * *

16 days since his confirmation, Dimitri was about to put out an actual fire.

_'It's not a drill!'_

From afar, the sight of the rising smoke sent his whole skin tingling. The traumatic memories flashed on his mind.

_'I won't let it happen.'_

He pushed the memory at the back of his mind. The vision of al mansion disappeared, replaced by the actual studio in flames.

Dimitri was the first to jump out of the fire truck, rushing to connect the hose to the fire hydrant. His adrenaline was pumping louder and faster than the fire hose. As his colleague took over the hose, he hurried into the burning studio with his fire extinguisher.

In an instant, the fire had been put out.

He took off his helmet and felt the cooling breeze brushed against his face. He was brimming from the extinguished flames. It was more fulfilling than a good workout back at the fire station.

_'I did it! Technically it was a small fire but I'm glad...'_

He wiped his face from the smoke and sweat. The illusion of an ambulance vanished as the siren stopped wailing.

There were no casualties, other than part of the studio. Moreover, the chic sign 'Goneril's Accessories' was blackened from the smoke.

A pink ponytailed lady gestured to the burnt classroom. "Awww man. My school!"

Dimitri went to her. "Sorry, are you a student here?"

"Student? You're lucky you're cute. I'm the principal."

"Ah, sorry. Let me take down your statement Miss..."

"Hilda Goneril."

"Right, Ms Goneril." Dimitri reached into his chest pocket to take out his phone but his key flew out. "Sorry, this is my first time..."

"Oh? That's a really cool design." She peered into his keychain. "Where did you get it from?"

"It's not far from here but ah... It's a pity the shop is closing today."

"Closing? Are they moving somewhere?"

"No, they're closing down... permanently."

"Hmm a pity." She played with her hair. "Well that's one less competitor in the market then. Do you happen to know who the artist is?"

"I believe his name was Ignatz Victor."

"What! Ignatz? Bring me there now!"

"Miss Goneril, what about your studio?"

"It's closed for now but not forever. Hurry up before his does!"

Afterwards, during his free time, Dimitri changed from his neon striped firefighter attire to his casual wear and went back to Hilda's.

During the ride, she had explained that Ignatz was one of her former classmates. Unfortunately, they lost contact after graduation.

With conviction, she said, "It was always his dream to be an artist. It can't end like this."

He pointed to the shop as she hopped off his motorcycle. She waved enthusiastically despite the incident caused by a microwave fault earlier.

Then, he hid behind a bush, hoping they won't notice him.

Hilda had dragged them outside, giving a speech about how unfortunate if she were never to step inside because she would had missed a gold mine.

Byleth remained stoic. She said, "Sorry, we tried our best but the lack of business is keeping us out of it."

Hilda shook her head, asking them to lend her their ears.

Ignatz jumped and readjusted his spectacles. He yelled, "Really?"

Her ponytails swayed as she nodded and repeated his word but with more confidence.

Meanwhile, Byleth maintained her neutral expression.

Pouting her lips, Hilda whipped out her name card and her phone. She showed them something on her phone which Ignatz jumped in glee again.

To Dimitri's surprise, Byleth covered her eyes.

_'She's embarrassed?'_

Hilda opened her arms, loudly counting down from 3. Without reaching '2', the three of them got into a long group hug.

He liked to believe the tears in their eyes were happy ones.

Later that night, his neighbour knocked on his door to inform Dimitri the good news.

He was already smiling as he leaned against his door frame. Even her stoic expression was replaced with a tiny smile.

Byleth said, "A certain firefighter brought her over to the store today. She had recruited us and bought Ignatz's leftover stock."

Dimitri smiled. "Ignatz is a lucky man. You as well."

"Thank you. I'm indeed lucky to have met you."

His ears redden at her sudden wide smile. He coughed. "Well I never liked fire sales, glad you don't have to do it anymore."

Her smiled thinned into a straight line.

He scratched his chin, already wishing to see her smile again. "Sorry, that was a bad joke."

"Yeah, why don't you tell me your day as compensation?"

"I would argue that's hardly fair but today's really special," he gestured her to come in. "I shouldn't sound so happy about this but it's my first fire case!"

"You really have a weird sense of humour."

* * *

It had been three weeks since his last real fire case.

Falling in formation, Captain Gilbert assigned the firefighters their roles for the day. He was about to dismiss them when a call came in from his two-way radio.

_'A fire broke out!'_

Dimitri crossed his fingers and tamed the butterflies in his stomach.

Instantly, Captain Gilbert reissued his orders. He began naming the team members chosen. "... and Felix. Everyone is dismissed!"

_'... What?'_

Everyone rushed to their stations. However, Dimitri was running towards the Captain.

He shouted, "Wait, Captain Gilbert. Please put in me the crew. I have been assigned to do self training for the past weeks."

Felix crossed his arms. "Pssh, look at that wild boar being a, oh, a wild boar. What did I expect?"

Captain Gilbert raised his hand at Felix. "Dimitri, are you questioning my orders?"

"... Yes sir. Felix and I have been confirmed at the same time but he was selected numerous times. Meanwhile, I had only been chosen once."

"Hmph, don't compare me to you. I'm nothing like you."

"Felix, you're delaying your team. Go now."

"... Was I only chosen previously because you nobody else to pick?"

His capability was not an issue. Everyone knew his strength and stamina were off the charts.

"Oh no, the boar just realised it."

"Felix, you're off the team. Everyone else move out now. That includes yourself, Dimitri."

"No! I refuse to accept this, you have been pushing me to the side every time. I wish to be in the front lines."

"Look at what just happened." Felix pushed Dimitri in the shoulders. "You made me stuck here with you!"

"Dimitri! Felix!"

Without another word, rage gripped him. He punched Felix in the face, sending him flying to the wall.

"Do. Not. Interrupt. Me."

"That hurt, damn it! If you want to die so badly, you're gonna get it!"

Felix clenched his fist and ran up to him. Dimitri didn't bother blocking his punch at all.

The two of them continued their brawl as the other firefighters watched in hushed whispers.

They didn't pull their punches. Blood splattered out of their noses. Dimitri's vision began to blur but he kept his eyes onto his colleague's black eye. Each punch was packed with envy.

Suddenly, he was pulled away. Both of them were held back by their colleagues.

He couldn't care less on what they were saying. Even Captain Gilbert's words.

With dragged feet, Dimitri was personally sent to his apartment by his Captain. They treated him like a wild dog as if he would sprint to the building on fire once they lost sight of him.

Gilbert pressed the 12th floor on the lift and left. Though, Dimitri was sure he would linger at the lobby to ensure he won't return.

With ragged breaths, he staggered to his door. His fists were still curled, deep crescent markings dug into his palms.

The last thing he heard was his name being called before his world blacked out.

* * *

Everything was hazy. Smoke was rising. Young Dimitri tried to push away the tall reporters to no avail.

_'Mum, Dad and Big Bro Glenn are in there!'_

His friend, Dedue, called out his name and paved the way for him. Then, he stayed behind to stop the reporters.

With shaky breaths, the blond child ran uphill alone.

The flames engulfed the mansion. A piercing scream reverberated.

But he never realised it was his own voice. Or rather, he didn't want to acknowledge it.

* * *

Dimitri woke up to the scent of lemons.

The ice pack slid down his face. He grabbed it, numbing his hands with the coldness.

_'I'm awake...'_

With his other hand, he gripped his head. The nightmares and survivor guilt from that day haunted him once more.

He bit his chapped lips and flinched. The migraine was worsening his mood.

At the corner of his eyes, he spotted a note on the coffee table. Beside it, there was a cereal box and milk in the fruit basket he given her. It read, "Dimitri, sorry I can't apply for leave yet. I haven't earned it. Help yourself to the food."

Then, it hit him. He was knocked out from the brawl.

_'What time is it?'_

He turned on his phone. It read 9:15AM above the notification spams. Among them, he noticed there was an email from his Captain.

With shaky fingers, he opened it.

> _"Dear Dimitri and Felix,_

> _It falls to me once more to instruct the both of you in the ways of the basics-respect. It does not befit anyone with two fiery firefighters who couldn't control their own fire. How would the public feel if we cannot refrain from such conduct? Thus, the both of you are suspended for a week._

> _Regards,_

> _Gilbert Pronislav_

> _Captain"_

He ran his callous fingers over his hands, touching his bruised knuckles. He wanted to save lives but he almost took one instead.

His frown deepened into a scowl. These few weeks, he had hated himself for not being chosen. His dream was so close yet so out of reach.

_'Do I have to go wishing there was more fire so I would be chosen? ... I never had the choice. Pathetic.'_

Dimitri stifled a yawn. His shoulders slacken as he let his weight sink into the couch. He felt more tired out of his firefighter attire despite being lighter.

He poked the ice bag absentmindedly. He couldn't remember the last time he was pampered.

Dimitri raked her house with his eyes. There were still a lot of boxes but they were arranged and labelled neatly. The scattered stacks of papers were gone. Meanwhile, the only food he could see was the boxes of lemons, cereal and milk.

_'Don't tell me she only eat these...'_

There was nothing else out of the ordinary from his first visit. Somehow, he missed being here. Then, his cheeks tinted pink.

_'I shouldn't gaze at a lady's home so freely!'_

His stomach growled and he felt for Byleth.

_'At least she isn't here to hear that.'_

He grabbed and poured the milk and cereal into the bowl at the same time. Soon, he was looking around the house for a rag to wipe the mess he made.

After showering from his own house, he found himself driving over to Goneril Accessories.

Hilda almost chased him away until he flashed his awkward smile. "Oh it's you, Dimitri. If there was security, I would call them over by mistake."

Dimitri said, "You should hire security though."

"Oh, You're lucky you're still somewhat cute. I can fend for myself and everyone else. Anyway, thanks for showing me Iggy's place."

"Hilda, where did you put the recor-" Byleth stopped mid sentence at the visitor. "Dimitri, are you okay now?"

Between his 'erms' and 'ahs', Hilda had told Byleth to take a break and she won't take no for an answer.

Together, both of them strolled at the nearest park. The trees shaded their pathway.

The scowl faded and his eyes twinkled. Dimitri said, "Thanks for... taking care of me."

Byleth looked ahead. "Just returning the favour. You sure find new ways to be locked outside of your house."

"Ha... Anyway, do you still walk to work?"

"If that puts your mind to ease, I started taking the bus."

"It does. You shouldn't overexert yourself."

"That's kind of hard to agree, coming from you."

He didn't reply.

She continued, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Gulping, he nodded. He owed her at least an explanation. "I... was suspended from work. I got into a fight with my colleague. We joined and were confirmed at the same but he was assigned to many fire cases. I lost count when it reached two digits. It was unfair."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Now I don't know what to do. Perhaps I'll hit the local gym. Then again, that wouldn't differ much from being at work. Or, perhaps I should look into other fire stations to work at."

"... What about a new hobby?"

"New hobby?"

"Molding a vase, for example."

"Ah... I think I'll pass. I'm bad at handling fragile things."

"That's too bad, I was hoping to see another adult joining me for Ignatz's class tomorrow."

"... Don't give me that face."

"I'm born with this face."

"Y-you know what I meant. What about your own work?"

"Hilda considered it part of my work to know how to make potteries and accessories. Though, she emphasised it's only for fun. I had joined a few already and I think..." Byleth walked ahead, stepping into the sunlight. Then, she glanced over her shoulder with a shy smile. "I finally found something I like to do for myself."

The wind picked up, ruffling their hair. Dimitri stood still and almost forgot how to breathe. Somehow, she was sparkling.

"Huh. That's really great."

"Yeah. Anyway, I'm better at what she had hired me for-managing finance." Byleth covered her eyes. "So, do you want to join me for fun?"

* * *

Dimitri donned an apron and sat beside Byleth.

He whispered to her, "Why is Hilda taking so many pictures of us?"

Byleth shook her head. "It's mostly you. Don't worry, you'll just appear on the website page to show how manly man does potteries too."

"What?"

"Focus, Dimitri. I cannot hear Ignatz."

"... I'm impressed you can hear him from all the children and their guardians giggling here."

* * *

Another day, another stroll.

Dimitri became more animated. "It's dangerous to have so many boxes in your house. It poses a fire hazard."

Meanwhile, Byleth remained the same. "Hmm."

"Are you listening?"

"Yes. But you don't have to worry. I don't use the stove nor light any matches."

"Electricity. You're overlooking short circuits."

"Well, Dimitri you're looking like a short fuse."

His mouth twitched.

She urged. "It's okay to laugh at it."

And he did. "That was very, very bad."

"I don't see the point in being better at it."

"Byleth, please."

* * *

As he kept his hand on the mold, he faced his neighbour. "Byleth, I have been wanting to ask you something."

"Yes?"

"Why are there so many lemons in your house?"

"Oh. I saw that on Imgur. It's a top tip to show you got your shit together."

Dimitri froze and was glad that there were no children in class, only older teenagers.

Byleth added, "Also, it smells nice, doesn't it?"

He wondered if she meant that he wasn't pinching his nose anymore. He hoped his nod would suffice.

"Another question."

"Yeah?"

"Why do you keep covering your eyes sometimes?"

"... Well, don't you feel like hiding when you're embarrassed? If I can't see you, then it's good as hiding for me."

"That's not how it works..."

"It works for me."

Throughout the day, Ignatz kept coming over because Dimitri's mold kept breaking form. For the first time, he wanted to cover his eyes too.

* * *

Dimitri whispered to Byleth, "I want to get my shit together too."

Thus, the neighbours went to the market to look at lemons together.

However, the smiles on their faces were robbed. Soon, Dimitri chased after a pickpocket that stole his wallet. He tackled the thief to the floor but got his arm slashed by the knife he held. Eventually, police had arrested the thief but Dimitri had disappeared before they could treat him.

Byleth's voice was strained. "I understand your wallet is important but your life is too!"

She dragged him to the nearest drain. The blood dripped from his shoulder and she wiped it with a tissue.

"Both are important but I didn't want to lose it. I couldn't let him get away too. He could have hurt others."

"You're... do you think the same about firefighting? Do you just rush into action?"

"... Yes."

She said nothing and washed his arm with her water bottle.

Then, she spoke up, her voice choked, "Please don't throw away your life like that."

Her teary eyes tugged his heartstrings. He couldn't nod at the chance of breaking the promise.

In the end, he said with a sincere attempt, "I'm sorry."

After applying bandages on his arm, she never released her hand in his as they head back home.

_'Your hands are warm.'_

Again, it had been a long time since he held anyone's hand. It dawned to him that he couldn't hold them anymore if he were to lose his hand, or worse, his life.

* * *

After class, Ignatz and Hilda had pulled him aside.

Hilda spoke, "Now Dimitri, we didn't pull you aside after class because you're a bad student or anything. Although, you do need more help... Anyway! Ignatz has something to say to you. I'll go up to ensure Byleth doesn't interrupt. Bye!"

As Hilda closed the door, the ceramic teacher urged his student to take a seat. With just the two of them, the room felt colder.

Before Ignatz explained what the talk was about, Dimitri apologised. "Sorry for all the trouble. I must be a difficult student."

Ignatz fidgeted. "Ah, no... It's okay everyone has their own pace. But that wasn't what I wanted to talk about, Dimitri."

"Oh?"

"I wanted to thank you."

"What?"

"Do you know how I met Byleth?"

"... Byleth had roughly mentioned meeting you from a flea market."

"Yes, did she explained more?"

"Not really."

Ignatz paused and stroked one of his pots.

"I had left my family to pursue my art career by myself. They didn't believe in me and I mustered all my courage to prove them wrong. However, reality was harsh. I couldn't find many customers to buy my art pieces. I was about to pack up and return shamefully to my parents. They were right. I couldn't survive on my own.

"2 years ago, that very day was a turning point for me. Byleth came over to my shop. She picked up a fish shaped bowl and claimed it was beautiful with a straight face. I wasn't sure if I can believe it haha. Seeing how I don't think I'll bring the stock back home, I told her she can have it for free. She shook her head, suspecting there were strings attached. I think there was pity in her eyes when I told her I'll be throwing them all away.

"She said the most ridiculous thing, "I'll buy your whole stock. Your entire business as your boss." I thought she was kidding and told her it wasn't funny. But she was serious. She didn't even know my name but went on naming strategic locations to set up the new shop. All this for a stranger. I was thanking my lucky stars...

"But I know it eventually had to end. We weren't seeing many customers coming in no matter where we were. I had a horrible feeling the money in the cashier machine were mostly from her own pocket. She was doing her best to keep the business afloat. And I don't know what to do. So I keep turning a blind eye towards it. I'm really sorry...

"When you first came to Victor Pottery... I was really shocked. She never brought anyone in before other than potential business partners. And then... you brought Hilda to us and kept my dream alive. I don't know what to say other than thank you.

"You have been such a great help to us. Especially to Byleth. I had never seen her smile so much before and so widely during the lessons with you too. Thank you again, Dimitri."

"Ignatz... Thanks for letting me know. Does... Byleth know that you knew she bought them?"

"Ah... Should I tell her?"

"It's ultimately your choice. I believe it's better than continuing to turn a blind eye and letting the guilt drain you."

* * *

Dimitri had taken Byleth's words to heart.

Back at work, he had apologised to everyone, especially Captain Gilbert and Felix. He never brought up the topic of wanting to join the fire cases as well.

"Which face is your real face?" Felix had asked if he was the same person which Dimitri gave in to his ugly laughter.

"That was really a bad joke, Felix. Of course, I'm still me. Both are my real faces."

After work and during his day offs, he went straight to Byleth's house, helping her move her boxes of potteries and accessories to Goneril's Accessories storage room. Fortunately, Hilda was open minded to take them as Ignatz's remaining stock and bought them from Byleth. Meanwhile, Ignatz wasn't mad. In fact, he was glad he could be open with her.

Dimitri had told of Felix's change in behaviour to Byleth. He wasn't as hostile as before. In fact, Dimitri thought they were starting to get along. She simply smiled and said, "I'm proud of you."

* * *

Dimitri fiddled with his hands as he sat in Captain Gilbert's office. He gulped. Captain Gilbert only invited people in for serious discussions.

It was his first time here. He couldn't help himself to observe the office. Surprisingly, it looked pretty ordinary.

"Thank you for joining me here, Dimitri. I believe an apology is in order."

"Ah... I'm sor-"

"No, I have already heard yours. It's time for mine."

"Captain Gilbert?"

"... You're your father's reflection. I watched over you from the day you were born. And that is why it pains me so to send you to the source that took away your family. It's like taking the life of my own son. We... no I didn't want to lose you too."

"Captain..."

Dimitri clasped his hands together. Back then, Captain Gilbert had saved him from the fire as he tried to run into the mansion.

_'Ah, the irony... I'm still running into fires.'_

"But you have changed. You are no longer eager to throw your life away. You stopped rushing into danger. I see that you have truly reflected for the past week. Do you remember what you told me during our first interview?"

"Erm, 'Hello Gilbert?'"

"... After that."

"Ah. The reason why I wanted to be a firefighter."

"That is correct. To save lives is a noble cause. I wish to inform you that I will no longer hinder you anymore."

It felt as if there was a weight lifted off his shoulders. He thanked with all his heart. "... Thank you, Captain Gilbert."

"Thank you too for your service, Dimitri."

As soon as the talk ended, Captain Gilbert received a report from his radio. "Fire at Duran Residence!"

Adrenaline shot through him as he heard it was a major fire. One look from Captain Gilbert sent him running to the dispatched team.

It shocked him to see Christophe standing outside of the burning landed property. The strong and calm security officer was stripped from his usual composure.

"Dimitri!" He latched onto him, "Please help, my siblings are in there!"

"All three, even Ashe?"

"Yes!"

Without another word, he rushed in with his fire extinguisher.

The heat was intense. Sweat formed on his brow before he entered. Smoke hindered his sight thus he crawled his way around.

Dimitri called out, "Ashe? Ashe are you there?"

"Help me!"

He heard a little girl's scream coming from one of the rooms. As he headed there carefully, Felix yelled into the two way radio, "I got one of them! It's a grease fire, don't use water!"

_'Two more to go!'_

A fallen chandelier almost dropped on him. He gathered his wits and moved around it carefully.

Then, it seemed he entered the kitchen. He heard coughing underneath the debris. There, he spotted a young girl.

"Ashe's sister! I'm coming!"

Effortlessly, he pulled her into his arms. He said into his radio, "I got the young girl!"

Suddenly, a piece of the ceiling got loose and fell near him.

_'I haven't got much time!'_

Quickly, he extinguished his way out while embracing the girl in his arms. For every one of her coughs, he showered her with the reassurance that they will be okay.

Once he ran out of the building, the eldest brother embraced her. Near him, Ashe was on the stretcher. He was still unconscious from inhaling too much smoke. Eventually, the medic had to tear away the sister from Christophe's arms for check up.

The eldest trembled. "Please, my youngest brother is still in there!"

Dimitri nodded. As much as he wanted to rush back in to find him, he was running low on his fire extinguisher.

_'The fire extinguisher is too light.'_

He discarded it and rushed to the fire truck. Gritting his teeth, he yelled into his radio, "There's still a boy inside!"

Then, the sight of the raging flames made him halt.

Christophe's screaming was replaced with his own younger self's.

The gust blew the smoke towards him, sending him into a coughing fit.

The apartment's silhouette turned into his mansion's. The flashes and shouting from the reporters blinded him.

_'I'm losing them again.'_

His feet weakly moved forward. Then, he felt a huge hand gripping his shoulder.

"Dimitri, we need you now."

Captain Gilbert's voice brought him back. Dimitri turned, his oxygen mask was misted from his heavy breathing.

"Captain?"

"Dimitri listen, this is different from then. You must remember that. This is not a tragedy repeating itself."

Those words echoed in his head. He clenched his jaw and nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Nothing to apologise for, yet. You're still here aren't you?"

To everyone's relief, Felix replied into the radio, "Okay, I think I heard him on the second floor's right wing!"

Christophe shakily pointed to the upper window on the right. "That's his room!"

Captain Gilbert ordered, "Everyone, prepare the ladder!"

Dimitri nodded and was finally in control again. Along with his colleagues, he took the ladder and placed it against the window. He announced, "Felix, the ladder is set!"

Glass was smashed. Felix popped out with a young boy in his arms. Dimitri rushed up to grab the young boy and he passed him down the ladder. Soon, everyone had descended, including Felix.

Most importantly, everyone was safe.

* * *

"Good work yourself."

After a long day, Dimitri had invited Byleth over to his house. Earlier, she had stayed behind at the security counter so Christophe could go to Ashe's apartment. Nobody had doubted she was the security as they had mistaken her staring as glaring.

He raised the cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice for toast.

"Thanks." Byleth toasted back. "Are you sure you don't want to join their celebratory feast?"

"What? The firefighters? We don't have that. At least, I don't think we do. Are they having on-"

"I'm just joking. Sorry, it was a bad one."

Dimitri shook his head. He chuckled. "Your jokes are all still so bad."

"It served its purpose."

"Making me laugh?"

"Yes."

Her smile made him felt warmer inside.

Landlord Lonato sent a message to Dimitri, thanking him for his service. He had also attached photos of Ashe giving a peace sign from his ICU bed. Christophe had also called in which Dimitri put him on loudspeaker. He mentioned something about key puns which made Dimitri shook his head in laughter. Byleth simply gave a small smile as Christophe gave his thanks to her too.

Even Felix had tagged his name on Whatsapp, "Good work everyone, especially you @Dimitri."

Dimitri's eyes fell onto the odd-shaped ceramics in his display case underneath the framed confirmation letter. Despite the quality, the sentimental value in getting another hobby, especially with Byleth made them so precious.

Then, Dimitri said, "Byleth, it's all thanks to you."

"What is?"

"The reason why I could have joined the case today. Because I'm no longer throwing my life away."

"And how am I involved?"

"Because... I'm living for you."

Byleth put down her glass. She shook her head.

"Dimitri. No."

"Byleth?"

"I know how it was to devote your whole self to someone else. You shouldn't do it."

"I..."

"You must not forget about yourself."

"I understand..."

"Then, that's good. I propose half."

"... Half?"

She covered her eyes. "I'll give you half and you'll give half of yours."

"Is... is this another bad joke of yours?"

"Not a bad joke but not a bad idea either, I hope?"

"No... It's a great idea."

* * *

From then on, they left the apartment with matching lemon-shaped keychains.

**Author's Note:**

> MVPs are Dimitri's door, door key and door knob.  
Special thanks to my friend Smores for helping me with the fire rescue~  
Also please raise your hands if you died at 'Bye Left'. 🙌


End file.
